Tonneau covers have been used for a number of years to cover the cargo box of pickup trucks against dirt, debris, and other environmental contaminants and to improve the aesthetic quality thereof. Current tonneau covers often employ a VELCRO® hook-and-loop fastening system operably coupled between a soft tarp of the tonneau cover and the sidewalls of the cargo box of the pickup truck. This arrangement permits the tarp to be coupled to the cargo box to conceal the contents thereof or, alternatively, to be rolled up to reveal the contents of the cargo box of the pickup truck. The VELCRO® has disadvantages of wearing over time, pulling, and not allowing the fabric to move freely, which may result in a puckered and wrinkled appearance. Furthermore, VELCRO® tonneau systems, like many others, require a substantial amount of time to remove and properly resecure the tonneau cover in order to gain access to the cargo box of the pickup truck.
A series of bows are typically coupled to the tarp and span the width of the cargo box. These bows serve to support and minimize accumulation of dirt, debris, and other environmental contaminants from collecting on top of the tarp. When the tarp is rolled up, these bows are often enclosed within the tarp bundle.
Typically, these bows are cylindrical in cross-section and the ends thereof rest upon rails fixed to longitudinal sidewalls of the cargo box of the pickup truck. However, often times these bows fail to minimize the lifting action caused by aerodynamic forces during vehicle travel. That is, conventional soft or roll-up type tonneau covers often suffer from flapping at highway speeds, which can lead to premature failure.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a tonneau cover system capable of reliably coupling the tonneau cover to the vehicle at various longitudinal locations and overcoming the aerodynamic lifting forces caused during vehicle travel. Additionally, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a convenient means for gaining temporary access to commonly used portions of the cargo box. Still further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a tonneau cover system capable of overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art.